For those who only hold on to the softer side of compassion, nurturing compassion, it is hard to recognize the true power leading with compassion offers. Compassionate leaders can hold on to the paradoxical aspect of compassion, which is that it also requires great strength. While power alone or strength over systems may feel more efficient, we all know this approach isn’t effective long-term.
After a grueling 2020, and an even more challenging week one of 2021, how do we persevere and embrace compassionate leadership? Take these four steps as the antidote to a disorienting world: Slow down to understand what lies beneath all the activity, and to anchor yourself, stay focused on the compassionate leadership skills that are always productive, and seek to offer compassion to everyone.
Things feel overwhelming right now in ways that they haven’t felt in a very long time. This level of disruption makes it easy to feel that change is beyond our control or power. Compassionate leaders know there ARE things that we can do to bring change forward. Consider these three ideas to help settle yourself into a place of empowerment, and focus yourself for change.
Belonging is a fundamental human need that we all experience and recognize deeply, and is crucial for your employees’ individual well-being and for the effectiveness of your teams and organizations. Here are three compassionate leadership methods we recommend to build a stronger sense of belonging among your entire team.
The same attributes that lead to gaining power are attributes that are undermined once one has achieved a position of power. Dacher Keltner, in The Power Paradox, shows us the origins of power, how it is part of all our everyday transactions and can consistently be a positive thing, how power can be abused and lost, and the costs of subjecting others to conditions that create powerlessness.
